A place for us to share with the world what goes on here - warts and all, and to fantasize about someday really understanding what it means to be "self-sufficient"...

Friday, January 13, 2012

Winter colors

You were expecting white??

Hah! The Weather Service predicts a warmer than usual winter for Upstate NY. Which translates to pretty ugly, drab landscapes. (see example below)

So we search out our own color palette, where ever it may be hiding.

Check out that Maran egg...back to nice, dark brown specimens after a short winter hiatus of two months or so. The darkest brown egg layers always produce their darkest at the start of a laying cycle or the younger the hen.

I found this lovely little fungus in the woods; a spot of blazing color in an otherwise very brown and grey view. I don't recall ever seeing anything like it before. Any fungus fans care to name it or lay some knowledge on us?

And nothing says "Fun in the Sun" like neon farm pails. (Don't you just want to hunker down in some warm sand and make castles?) Really, I couldn't resist...I found these at Tractor Supply.

In my defense, we do have a color-coded animal system around here: Yellow is for Chickens, Orange for Turkeys/Quail/Ducks, Red for Sheep, Blue for Goats, and Green for Garden. Feed scoops, containers, hanging feeders, pails etc. are all kept/colored/labeled separately for the newbie/visiting farmer, farm sitter, or DH (who is very reluctant to admit there is a system, or that it has value...)

The neon pink pail and the lilac purple one (in use at at the time of the photo) don't have an assigned use, but who can resist PURPLE farm pails? After all, there is just plain, old hauling of water...

Oooooh, nice buckets! I bet it's whiter today. I have gotten a very dark brown speckled egg that I THINK is from one of the Welsummers. Except it is full size and I was expecting a pullet-sized egg. From a Barnie? Thoughts?